Book matches with ejection type ignition means



April 2, 1957 M. H. OLSEN 2,787,370

BOOK MATCHES WITH EJECTION TYPE IGNITION MEANS Filed Dec. 31, 1953 Ma/wn H. Olsen INVENTOR.

United States Patent n BOOK MATCHES WITH EJECTION TYPE IGNITION MEANS The present invention relates to safety matches, generally speaking, and has more particular reference to pocket-size cardboard and equivalent holders and packets commonly referred to in the trade as book matches.

It is a matter of common knowledge that many and varied styles and forms of ejection-ignited match packets have been evolved and produced4 for use by others in this line of endeavor. For example, reference may be made to my prior Patent No. 2,638,208, May l2, i953, which involves a similar structural arrangement in which paper or strip matches in a ribbon-like `assemblage or battery are forcibly severable at the stem portions and are ignited by forces of pressure and friction contact had between the head of the match and the abrasive media.

An object of the present invention is to structurally, functionally and otherwise improve upon the construction disclosed in my prior patent and any similar prior art devices and, in doing so, to provide an improved structural adaptation by which, it is believed, match makers, retailers, smokers, and other users will find their respective requirements and needs eectually met.

In carrying out the present invention a cardboard or equivalent blank is bent or otherwise struck-out and the complemental half portions thereof are folded into spaced relation and secured together to define an open-ended tubular sheath having stop shoulders along one longitudinal side, said sheath defining a satisfactory holder or magazine for the battery of severable matches. A small patch of abrasive media is affixed to the interior side of the back wall of the sheath adjacent and communicable with the open discharge end and is located in a satisfactory position with respect to a cooperating stop shoulder. The latter functions not only as a stop shoulder but also as a fulcrum for the stem-ends of the matches.

Novelty is predicated on the construction stated and wherein two slots or openings are provided, one a lengthwise slot for feeding the matches one-by-one against the shoulder at the discharge end of the sheath, and the other slot being arcuate and serving to accommodate the thumb of the user which is employed to engage the intermediate portion of the match stem to sever and eject the same forcibly and to satisfactorily ignite it for use.

Further novelty is predicated on the construction and combination of features so far revealed and the combination therewith of a flexibly resilient stop element carried by said back wall of the sheath, said element being in registerable alignment with the abrasive media and in a position cooperable with said shoulder, whereby the match to be ejected bridges the space between the shoulder and stop element preparatory to thumb-actuated ejection of said match.

Finally, novelty is predicated on the special construction and arrangement of features above related in conjunction With a guide and match hold-down tongue which is V-shaped and provides a cam-like edge which guides the head of the match into satisfactory pressurized-contact with the abrasive patch or media and thus assures that each match progressively breaks loose from the next adja- 2,787,370 "Patented ApruZ,

2 cent match, fulcrurns on the stop shoulder, flips over the spring-like stop elements, sweeps over the abrasive element and is camrned into contact therewith by the stated V-shaped tongue, resulting in effective lighting of each- Figure l is a perspective showing how the book ofl matches, constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention, may be held in one hand and operated to thus ignite the progressively fed matches one at a time;

Figure 2 is a top plan view on a slightly enlarged scale showing the details of construction and arrangement;`

Figure 3 is an end elevationv with the structure of 'Figi ure l looking at the constantly open discharge end of the sheath-like magazine; 1 f' Figure 4 is a transverse or cross-sectional' view on thef plane of the line 4 4 of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a View in section and elevation with the top or front wall removed and exposing the underlying structural details; and l Figure 6 is a plan view of the cardboard blank from which the folder or sheath-like magazine is made up.

Referring now to the drawings the tubular open-ended cardboard or equivalent sheath-like magazine is denoted by the numeral 8. It .is rectangular and is struck out from a single piece of cardboard. It is characterized',

as before stated, by a front or top substantially rectangular Wall or panel 1f) and a similar complemental bottom wall or panel l2. Following the fold lines 14--14 (see Figure 6) the two panels are folded `atop one another on an intervening hinge or fold 16. Along one longitudinal edge of the bottom Wall is a fold line 18 defining a flange 2.0. This is infolded in the manner shown in the other figures. There is a cut-out 22 which defines spaced shoulders 24 and Z6. The abrasive media 28 is affixed to the upper left hand corner of the wall in Figure 6 and this is of a predetermined area and adjacent thereto is a struck-out tongue 3l). The latter constitutes a flexibly resilient stop element and is in cooperable operative alignment with the shoulder 24. 'u

The other top wall lll has a lengthwise finger slot 32 one end of which 34 terminates short or inwardly of the adjacent end of the sheath. The opposite end 36 lines up with and extends slightly beyond the stop shoulder 24, as best shown in Figure 2. The thumb slot, which is arcuate in plan, is denoted by the numeral 3S-and it extends from the inner end 40 through the adjacent end of the wall. Therefore, this end 42 of the slot opens through said discharge end of the magazine. A second struckout and bendable tongue is provided and this is arranged in the wall lil adjacent the discharge end of the magazine and it is denoted by the numeral 44 and it is folded or bent on the fold line 46 and it is cut so that it is substantially V-shaped with the inclined edge 48 forming a match head hold-down, guiding and camming tongue. Both struck-out portions 3i) and 44, are tongues but the one 30 is referred to as a flexibly resilient stop element and the other one as a camming and match head hold-down tongue. The latter, of course, is opposite to the position or path through which the head of the match is swung as is evident from a consideration of the drawings particularly Figure l. In practice the stop element 3l! is not only a stop which lines up the match so that it spans the space between Sti and the shoulder 24, it also is springy so that it is forcibly swung down as the match sweeps over it and exerts a resilient resistance force to the thus manually moved match and provides a sort of a recoil action, whereby the match head lactually zips against the abrasive patch or media so .that as it is forcibly swished 0.1.'. .swept .across said meda, the friction rendirse t0 ignite the head of the match being thus obtained, in an obvious manner. Considering too the added camming and holddown `action of the cam-like tongue 44, these ltwo features 30 .and 44 are highly important, especially when taken in conjunction with the path of movement of the match, the breaking away of the match from the next adjacent match (Figure 5) and the turning or fulcruming of the match `on the corner of the stop shoulder 24.

In operation the matches are manually fed one-b5-one along the channel or space provided therefor in the sheathlike magazine. The matches are separably connected together at their right hand or stem-ends as denoted by 50 in Figure 5. They can be separated from each other because the web connections tear loose under forcible thumb Pressure in an obvious manner. Thus, as each match bridges the space between the shoulder 24 and the complemental stop element or auxiliary shoulder 30 it is then ready to be forcibly ejected by placing and swinging the thumb in the arcuate slot in the manner shown best in Figure 1. As is clear, the severed stem-end is aligned with, supported by and fulcrums on the corner of the shoulder 24 and the match head slips over the resiliently bendable stop element 30. By swishing it over the abrasive and exerting added camming pressure by the cam edge 48 it has been found that every match thus forcibly pressed out of the discharge end of the packet is effectively lighted for use.

Since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

l. Book matches of the class described comprising an open-ended cardboard sheath having an infolded flange Ialong one longitudinal edge and having the opposite edges of its wall portions joined together, an edge portion of said flange being cut-out and providing longitudinally spaced shoulders, said sheath embodying front and back walls, said baci; wall having a patch of abrasive media on its interior side adjacent the discharge end .of the sheath and being provided adjacent to said patch of abrasive media with a resilient inwardly projecting stop element, said stop element providing a shoulder and also serving to assist in forcibly zipping the head of the match into ignitable relationship to the abrasive media, said front wall having an arcuate thumb slot closed at its inner end and having its opposite end opening through the discharge end `of the sheath, and said front wall having a lateral inwardly projecting V-shaped match-head hold-down tongue, said tongue being in registerable relation in respect to said abrasive media.

2. Book matches having manually manipulable ejection-type ignition media comprising a flexible packet n nobstructedly open 'at its match ejecting and igniting end, said packet having front and back walls fixed together in spaced parallelism and providing a sheath-like magazine, the latter having an nteriorly disposed stop shoulder adjacent to and inwardly of said discharge end, stationary abrasive media aixed to the inner surface of the back Wall adjacent to said discharge end and spaced in matchlighting position from said shoulder, a battery of coplanar safety matches confined for operation in said magazine and adapted to be slid manually and thus ejected for use one-by-one through said discharge end, said matches having stem-ends aligned for cooperation with said stop shoulder, said stem-,ends being severably attached to one another and the ignitable heads of said matches being aligned and adapted to move into operable alignment with said abrasive media, said front wall having a lengthwise sight opening therein in match-feeding alignment with the severable ends of said stems as well as said shoulder so that the matches are fed into tearable positions to be swung out in pivotal contact with said shoulder, said front wall also having a separate lengthwise thumb-slot extending from the intermediate region of the front wall and opening through the discharge end of said wall in a manner to expose an intermediate portion of the progressively usable matches, whereby the user may engage the mid-portion of each match with the thumb and forcibly and frictionally flip the head of the match over the abrasive media, whereupon it is readied for use.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 wherein said sight vopening ranges from a position short of said discharge end and close to the location of the shoulder to a position short of the other end of the sheath.

4. The structure defined in claim 2, and the combination, therewith of a licxibly resilient stop element carried by said back wall, said element being in registerable alignment with the abrasive media and in a position vcooperable with said shoulder, whereby the match to be ejected bridges the space between the shoulder and stop element preparatory'to thumb-pressured ejection of said match.

5. The structure defined in claim 4, wherein said thumbslot is arcuate in plan and has its open end directed toward the shoulder-equipped side of said sheath.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,212,773 Gray Aug. 27, 1940 2,508,710 Gosselin May 23, 1950 2,638,208 Olsen May l2, 1953 .FOREIGN PATENTS 331,260 `Italy Oct, 31. 19,35 

